Mick Birchall Reviews

If there is one thing that I know to be true, there is absolutely no better way to spend a bank holiday weekend than going to another city and enjoying a day of music. You guys know me, I never can resist a good day of tunes being blasted. This is one of the things I can really praise this festival for, Quinphonic Festival is great for getting a wide variety of music into one day. I think this one was really great as well, as there was a real mix of genres on display. From rap-inspired metal to hard rock to symphonic metal to more electro-influenced rock music, it was so fun. The mix of styles and sounds made for a good day of live music. I was more than pumped to get things going. So let's talk about this great day. Opening up the proceedings were the pulse-pounding and heart-racing metal stylings of Pulverise . Right away they came on stage with a full head of steam and their own signature style of tunes. The rough guitar riffs and commanding presence were just the be...

Chasing Infinity are: Adele Halsall - Vocals  Paul McCormick - Guitar  Rob Saunders - Bass Where do you think your passion for music came from? Rob: I can think of two defining moments when I ponder this question. The first is me being sat at home and hearing ‘The Middle’ by Jimmy Eat World for the first time. This was the first song that made me stop and wonder what it would be like to play the guitar. The second is going to my first ever concert – Status Quo. Say what you like about them, nothing put me onto the idea of performing music quite like seeing Rick Parfitt for the first time as he dropped into a power stance and banged out the intro to Caroline. Adele: I think mine started as a child when my parents would play a lot of Michael Jackson. Sure, I know it’s controversial to say now, but I was mesmerised by his music and the way he commanded a stage. I also began singing at the age of 6 and realised I was pretty good at it, so I began to daydream about ...

Lovesick Radio are: David Harris - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Slide, Acoustic, BK Vocals Troy Brown - Lead Vocals Glenn Viers - Bass Guitar Matt Bores - Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, BK Vocals Matt Seskevics - Drums, BK Vocals Where do you think your passion for music came from? David(Guitarist): Music is something that had always spoken to me from a young age. I was & still am obsessed with it. Hearing my mom play Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Sex Pistols & Jimi Hendrix forever changed me. Troy (singer): Passion alone came from both my parents, but music specifically would probably be more my mom and my brother who had a guitar. Who are your biggest influences? David: Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin & The Rolling Stones probably. They are older bands around before my time but their music is timeless & have some of the best riffs! Troy: Growing up my parents played a ton of Mellencamp and Billy Joel so the storytelling type of songwriting stuck with me...of course, as...

So, after discovering them supporting Skarlett Riot , I was more than hyped for the new record from Sister Shotgun. They announced at the show that the new album was on the way and played a few songs from it, that was enough to get my appetite going until I got to listen to it. Well, imagine my surprise when I got a review copy land in my inbox. The album Fragments  is a really fun record and a great culmination of their work  so far. As a band, their music is a fun fusion of glam rock and heavy metal which makes for some really creates fun moments. Add in the fact that they mix in some elements of hardcore punk and pop-like melodies and you have a band that can reach a mainstream audience, whilst still having the heavy sounding bite to their music.  One thing I will say is that this album has a really great amount of polish to it. Every element of the production is clear and mixed together quite well. The rhythm, melodies and harmonies are well done and the tone is e...

Where do you think your passion for music came from? I’m a Christian and I believe the enjoyment I find in music ultimately comes from the lord. I had friends I met in high school that were in a band and I really thought that was cool. I enjoyed going to their practices and I really wanted to do the same thing. I ended up getting an electric guitar and everything else fell into place. Who are your biggest influences? Hmmmm..... as far as music goes this one definitely gets me thinking. I’ve had so many influences from so many talented artists/bands from completely different genres that it makes it hard to really narrow it down. I can say as of right now my biggest influence are probably Maroon 5, Twenty One Pilots, Logic, NF, Rag n’ Bone Man, and Taylor Swift. To you, what is the most important thing about playing live? Crowd engagement. If you can’t entertain the people at the venue and keep them interested, you’re not doing your job. What is the one song you had wished you h...

Where do you think your passion for music came from? I grew up in a musical household. Music is in my veins. My dad was in a band before I was born, (how he met my mom) and continued until I was in high school. I was exposed to all sorts of music. When I was a child in a crib I would sing the latest song that was playing on the radio apparently. (probably never got the lyrics right though…hahahahahaha) I loved Elvis as a kid and still like Elvis to this day. (early Elvis…not big on the Vegas years) What can we expect from you in the live world going forward? “At present, Gnostic Gorilla is unable to do live shows. However, I would love to do a one-off someday with a decent band to back me up. My vision of such a gig would be something theatrical (within our means obviously) and emphasis on mystery. I would love to close with a cover like “Dead Cats, Dead Rats/Break on Through” by the Doors because it’s quite passionate and I think it would be a lot of fun. But for now, they won’t ...

It's always interesting to see a familiar band in a new setting. There's just something about going somewhere outside of your usual surroundings that can make a gig that much more exciting. I've been following  Skarlett Riot  for a long time. They always manage to put on a great live show. So, let's just say it was worth the trip to Birmingham. The Flapper is a pretty nice venue. Located on the canal, it's a nice place for a rock show. The crowd was really good too, creating a fun atmosphere for the bands to bounce off of all night long. This was a packed line-up too, supporting Skarlett Riot  for the night were hard rockers, Fahran  who I have seen live before. To be honest, I have never seen a bad show from them, so I was excited to see them again. Also, opening the show was local rockers, Sister Shotgun . I have to say not a bad way to spend my birthday. I have to say, I am really impressed with Sister Shotgun . Their energy was incredibly infectio...